"of them in England, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland. Japan also has a significant number of adventure playgrounds. Denmark has several adventure playgrounds, now known as ""Byggelegeplads"" (Building-playground) and formerly as ""Skrammellegeplads"" (Junk-playground). From the first site in Emdrup, the idea spread across the country and at the height of the popularity in the 1960s, there were about 100 adventure playgrounds in the country. Present active adventure playgrounds in Denmark includes: Adventure playground An adventure playground is a specific type of playground for children. Adventure playgrounds can take many forms, ranging from ""natural playgrounds"" to ""junk playgrounds"", and"
"""the idea of transforming bomb sites into 'junk playgrounds', historians of the Adventure playground movement have pointed to the role played by other experiments carried out by youth workers in the UK. For example, ""Marie Paneth, an art therapist heavily influenced by Freud, independently developed the concept of permissive play as a tool for ameliorating childhood aggression in her work running a blitz-era play centre in London although not specifically incorporating the elements of a Junk/Adventure playground pointing to her role in the history of UK specific Playwork development."" To date, there are approximately 1,000 adventure playgrounds in Europe, most"
"border between Belarus and Poland. Now the European Plain is the most agriculturally productive region of Europe. European Plain The European Plain or Great European Plain is a plain in Europe and is a major feature of one of four major topographical units of Europe - the ""Central and Interior Lowlands"". It is the largest mountain-free landform in Europe, although a number of highlands are identified within it. The plain stretches from the Pyrenees mountains and the French coast of the Bay of Biscay in the west to the Russian Ural Mountains in the east. Its shores are washed to"
"surrounding the capital Nicosia has long served as the island's granary. Province of Southwest Finland has the warmest climatic conditions in continental Finland and fertile soil, making it the breadbasket of Finland. The Beauce plains are considered the breadbasket of France. East Prussia was considered as breadbasket of German Reich. The Hungarian Plain has produced significant amounts of corn and grain. In the early 20th century, 34% of Europe's total corn production and 11% of the European flour production was grown in Hungary. Alentejo is considered the breadbasket of Portugal. In the 19th century, Romania was considered part of Europe's"
"After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute) determined that the geographic centre of Europe is located at . The method used for calculating this point was that of the centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe. This point is located in Lithuania, near the village of Girija. A monument, composed by the sculptor Gediminas Jokūbonis and consisting of a column of white granite surmounted by a crown of stars, was erected at the location in 2004. An area of"
"year. Concerts and festivals are held, and a conference center is located at the park. Europos Parkas Europos Parkas (the ""Park of Europe"") is a 50-hectare open-air museum located 17 km from Vilnius, Lithuania. The museum gives an artistic significance to the geographic centre of the European continent (as determined by the French National Geographic Institute in 1989) and presents Lithuanian and international modern art. The museum exhibits more than 90 works from 27 countries, including Armenia, Belarus, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, the"
"sports, with a hotel and recreation centre called ""Stred Európy"" (""Centre of Europe""). In 1887, geographers from the Austro-Hungarian Empire set up a historical marker and a large stone in what is today a part of Ukraine, believed to mark the geographic centre of Europe. The interpretation of the worn Latin inscription on the monument is debated, with some claiming that the marker is merely one of a number of fixed triangulation points for surveying purposes established around the territory of the former empire. The external borders of Europe taken into account during the calculations are not known. According to"
"Joy of Europe Joy of Europe ( / ""Radost Evrope"") is a European dance festival with a long tradition. The annual event takes place in Belgrade, Serbia with 30 European nations showcasing their culture through dance and music. The European nations are usually accompanied by another country from another continent. The ""Joy of Europe"" festival started in 1969 and has been held every year since. The founder of the festival is the City of Belgrade, which together with the Belgrade Children's Centre organises the event. The festival aims to bring together children from across Europe through song and dance by"
"Joy of Europe Joy of Europe ( / ""Radost Evrope"") is a European dance festival with a long tradition. The annual event takes place in Belgrade, Serbia with 30 European nations showcasing their culture through dance and music. The European nations are usually accompanied by another country from another continent. The ""Joy of Europe"" festival started in 1969 and has been held every year since. The founder of the festival is the City of Belgrade, which together with the Belgrade Children's Centre organises the event. The festival aims to bring together children from across Europe through song and dance by"
"played in over 53 countries all around the world. Italy Spain Portugal France United Kingdom Belgium Germany Hungary Latvia Estonia Lithuania Slovenia Poland Ukraine Bulgaria Holland Austria Finland Denmark Switzerland Czech Republic Belarus Romania Egypt Iran Tunisia Greece Israel Cyprus South Africa Morocco Argentina Chile Peru Brazil Japan Mauritius Puerto Rico Mexico Venezuela Dominican Republic Colombia El Salvador Russia China Australia India Malaysia Singapore United States Canada United Arab Emirates Thailand And many more joining by the day. Beach tennis arrived in Brazil on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro around 2008, and the sport has now dominated about 1/3"
"Greece, Serbia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Germany, Taiwan, Turkey, Hong Kong, Portugal, Pakistan, Sweden, Hungary, the Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, Spain, France and Romania. It is growing in popularity in the UK and in a unique reference to the sport, is featured in a song by the band Half Man Half Biscuit entitled ""Joy in Leeuwarden (We Are Ready)"" on their 2011 album ""90 Bisodol (Crimond)"". Korfball has been played in the World Games since 1985. IKF World Championships have been held every four years since 1978. The leading nations are Belgium and the Netherlands. Hong Kong"
"and their daughter Iseult. It is claimed the programme was the first showing of a naked woman on British television. Spielplatz Spielplatz (German for playground) is the longest-operating naturist resort in United Kingdom, and consists of located in the village of Bricket Wood, in the English county of Hertfordshire. As of 2016, the resort consists of 55 houses. Spielplatz was founded in 1929 by Charles Macaskie and his wife Dorothy. They moved from London into a tent on an area of virgin woodland they purchased near Bricket Wood. They called their utopian camp the ""Green Monastery"" and a ""Play Place"""
"Europe by mobile eastern groups from the steppe land, such as the Huns and Alans. The name also derives from the Medieval legends of a Land of Darkness often perceived in the legends to be in a roughly analogous location to its Warhammer counterpart. The Dark lands also have a substantial population of Ogres and their goblinoid slaves, the Gnoblars. Estalia is a fictional realm in the Warhammer World setting and appears in games from Games Workshop. Estalia is the Warhammer equivalent of the Iberian peninsula. The region's kingdoms, cultures and political situation are modelled after medieval Spain and Italy."
"writing."" There is a whole spectrum of media active in the region: newspapers, television and internet channels, radio channels, internet websites etc. Central European media are regarded as free, according to the Press Freedom Index, although the situation in Poland, Hungary and Croatia is described as ""problematic"". Some of the top scoring countries are in Central Europe include: There is a number of Central European Sport events and leagues. They include: Football is one of the most popular sports. Countries of Central Europe had many great national teams throughout history and hosted several major competitions. Yugoslavia hosted UEFA Euro 1976"
"including the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. Major events have been held at many beach cities in countries around the world, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, United Arab Emirates, France, the Netherlands, Aruba, Thailand, South Africa, Paraguay, etc. as well as its own native Brazil. Paraguay was the first world champion of footvolley. The Paraguayan Jesús is considered the best player in the World Championship. Brasília (the capital of Brazil) has produced players like Gabriel, Xeleleu, Jansen de Oliveira, Ramiro, Betola, Edinho, Hugão and Luisinho who are till today in activity and besides their admired carriers, they also"
"from the extreme points of Europe: the westernmost point in Portugal; the easternmost point in the Central Urals; the northernmost point in Norway; and the southernmost point in Greece (islands were not taken into consideration). There is a monument commemorating that definition in Suchowola . Locations currently vying for the distinction of being the centre of Europe include: Guinness World Records recognises Girija, as the official geographical midpoint of Europe, but that does not preclude other centres, depending on the methodology used in making the determination. The first official declaration of the Centre of Europe was made in 1775 by"
"before the competition expanded to 8 teams and Germany (at that times as West Germany) hosted UEFA Euro 1988. Recently, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships were held in Austria & Switzerland and Poland & Ukraine respectively. Germany hosted 2 FIFA World Cups (1974 and 2006) and are the current champions (as of 2014). Central Europe is a birthplace of regional political organisations: Central Europe is a home to some of world's oldest democracies. However, most of them have been impacted by totalitarian rule, particularly Nazism (Germany, Austria, other occupied countries) and Communism. Most of Central Europe have been occupied"
"of tourism. This industry developed the infrastructure: railway lines, hotels and other services such as casinos, promenades, improvements, and funiculars. The conquest of the Alps by British tourists was achieved along with their domestication and with the passionate participation of local, regional and national élites, be they political, economic or cultural. Leslie Stephen, in a best-selling book first published in 1871, defined the Alps as “the Playground of Europe.” The book highlights the incredible success of the mountains but it also reflects the tensions that emerged among their visitors. There was a clash between the “real enthusiasts,” sensitive to beauty,"
"arguably the most stable volleyball programme, supporting top level women's and men's teams. The same may be said of Italy, although only in later years women's volleyball was fully developed in this country. Serbia, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria and The Netherlands must also be counted as continental forces in men's volleyball. At a lower level of play, one may consider a few other teams with some tradition in this realm, such as France; and at an even lower level, but still capable of occasionally upseting stronger teams, Germany, Spain, Greece and possibly Portugal. In 2015 Slovenia made history ending in second"
"towards France is ""cowardly, arrogant, chauvinistic, erotomaniacs"", and they see Germany as ""uber-efficient, diligent [and] disciplined"". To Europe, Italy is ""tax-dodging, Berlusconi-style and mama's boys, incapable of bravery"", Poland is ""heavy-drinking ultracatholics with a whiff of antisemitism"", and Spain is ""macho men and fiery woman prone to regular siestas and fiestas"". While some countries such as Germany proudly own their stereotype, others like Spain argue that theirs is a warped view based on experiences while on holiday instead of having actually lived there. A Pew Global survey of the European countries Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, and the"
"of Europe. In 2010, Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, while speaking to the European Parliament, said: """"As you probably know, some American politicians and American journalists refer to Washington, D.C. as the 'capital of the free world.' But it seems to me that in this great city, which boasts 1,000 years of history and which serves as the capital of Belgium, the home of the European Union, and the headquarters for NATO, this city has its own legitimate claim to that title."" Like Washington D.C., Brussels is a centre of political activity with ambassadors to Belgium, NATO"
"woods and fields surrounding the geographic centre point and including Lake Girija, Bernotai Hill, and an old burial ground, was set aside as a reserve in 1992. The State Tourism Department at the Ministry of Economy of Lithuania has classified the Geographic Centre monument and its reserve as a tourist attraction. 17 km away lies Europos Parkas, ""Open Air Museum of the Centre of Europe"", a sculpture park containing the world's largest sculpture made of TV sets. It is claimed that a 1992 survey found that the geometric centre of Europe is in the village of Tállya, Hungary . In"
"is designed to provide a safe environment for play in a natural setting. Through history, children played in their villages and neighbourhoods, especially in the streets and lanes near their homes. In the 19th century, developmental psychologists such as Friedrich Fröbel proposed playgrounds as a developmental aid, or to imbue children with a sense of fair play and good manners. In Germany, a few playgrounds were erected in connection to schools, and the first purpose-built public-access playground was opened in a park in Manchester, England in 1859. However, it was only in the early 20th century, as the street lost"
"Italy and Portugal. The most successful nations are Spain, Portugal and Russia with 5 titles each. Italy have two titles (and are also current 2018 champions), whilst Germany, France, Switzerland and Ukraine have one title each. After beach soccer's inception in 1992, the sport grew quickly. By 1996, the Pro Beach Soccer Tour (PBST) had been created – a series of exhibition events across the Americas, Asia and in Europe, totalling in 60 games by the end of 1997, promoting the sport on a global level. In Europe, the interest generated was particularly prevalent. Beach Soccer Company (BSC), the organisers"
"cultural attributes. Southern Europe can also be defined by its natural features — its geography, climate, and flora. Politically, seven of the Southern European states form the EU Med group. Geographically, Southern Europe is the southern half of the landmass of Europe. This definition is relative, although largely based in history, culture, climate, and flora which is shared across the region. It includes southwestern Europe: the Iberian Peninsula (Andorra, Portugal and Spain), including the minor territory of Gibraltar. Then Italy and the micro-states of San Marino and the Vatican City. Southeastern Europe includes Greece, Kosovo, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and"
"as flatwheeling). Playspots are found on natural whitewater, on artificial weirs, on artificial whitewater courses, and occasionally on tidal races in the sea. Europe North America Further natural year-round playspots Many high-volume rivers are often run for their playspots: Africa North America Europe North America The Tryweryn in Wales, the Dee near Llangollen in Wales, the Washburn in England, and Hambledon Weir on the Thames have been modified (by moving boulders on the river bed, or in the case of Hambledon by installing pneumatic kicker ramps on the river bed) to create better playspots. Construction has been completed on Brennan's"
"in Europe; and as having some of the best nightlife and entertainment in the country, thanks to its large young population and multicultural feel. Lonely Planet listed Thessaloniki among the world's ""ultimate party cities"". Although Thessaloniki is not renowned for its parks and greenery throughout its urban area, where green spaces are few, it has several large open spaces around its waterfront, namely the central city gardens of ""Palios Zoologikos Kipos"" (which is recently being redeveloped to also include rock climbing facilities, a new skatepark and paintball range), the park of ""Pedion tou Areos"", which also holds the city's annual"
"awards by the World Golf Awards. Portugal Portugal (), officially the Portuguese Republic ( ), is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe. It is bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. Portugal is the oldest state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe, its territory having been continuously settled, invaded and"
"of population are Saint Petersburg, Madrid, Berlin and Rome, each having over 3 million residents. When considering the commuter belts or metropolitan areas, within the EU (for which comparable data is available) London covers the largest population, followed in order by Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, the Ruhr area, Rome, Milan, Athens and Warsaw. ""Europe"" as a cultural concept is substantially derived from the shared heritage of the Roman Empire and its culture. The boundaries of Europe were historically understood as those of Christendom (or more specifically Latin Christendom), as established or defended throughout the medieval and early modern history of"
"in Central Europe and region's musical tastes Central Europe Central Europe is the region comprising the central part of Europe. It is said to occupy continuous territory that are otherwise conventionally Western Europe, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe. The concept of Central Europe is based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. Central Europe is going through a phase of ""strategic awakening"", with initiatives such as the CEI, Centrope and the Visegrád Four. While the region's economy shows high disparities with regard to income, all Central European countries are listed by the Human Development Index as very highly developed."
"Atatürk's main role model for Westernization as part of the major reform efforts that he spearheaded when he was President of Turkey. France, and in particular Paris, has long been considered one of the most romantic places to be. France was in 2014 the most visited country in the world. The annual soft power rankings by ""Monocle"" magazine and the Institute for Government ranks 30 countries which “best attract favor from other nations through culture, sport, cuisine, design, diplomacy and beyond.” ""Monocle"" magazine said: “Merkel may be painted as a stern taskmaster but it seems she has a softer side,"
"image of the crowning Charlemagne is on a Euro note, because he is ""accepted as the Father of Europe and thereby of the EU, with buildings and rooms named after him."" The accepted ""symbol for EU culture ... symbolises a Doric column ..."" but does not necessarily represent Europe’s other cultures (Norse, etc.). Ultimately, Europe is based on the myth of the demi-god ""Europa"" and many of its symbols are based on ancient Greek art forms. If Turkey joined the EU, the current images could be a source of conflict: Another example from 2011 is that of Japan's self-branding of"
"The boundary runs between England, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Austria (mostly), Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia (clockwise) and France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Balkans, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey (anticlockwise). Games that originate in a region with a strong preference are often initially played in the original direction, even in regions that prefer the opposite direction. For games that have official rules and are played in tournaments, the direction of play is often prescribed in those rules. Most games have some form of asymmetry between players. The roles of players are normally expressed in terms of the ""dealer"", i.e. the player"